Pacific Rim - FURTHER INFORMATION

The Pacific Rim of Vancouver Island refers to an area on the West coast, much of which is part of the Pacific Rim National Park. The main towns in the area include Tofino and Ucluelet, which are very popular tourist resorts in the summer. Over a million people visit the Pacific Rim area pf Vancouver Island every year, following the 4 Pacific Rim Highway across the island form Parksville and through Port Alberni. On this map of the Pacific Rim region are pins showing the location of some of the beaches and other places of interest. Each pin is linked to a panorama taken from that place. Simply click on a pin to begin to explore the Pacific Rim in a unique way. Each panoramic image is accompanied by some local and travel information forming a guide to the Pacific Rim.

The Pacific Rim National Park itself is made up of three separate regions. These are Long Beach, the Broken Group Islands, and the West Coast Trail. The park covers over 510 km² of both land and sea, and is open from mid-March through to mid-October. The western side of Vancouver Island is rugged and very wet. People visit the parks for the beaches, hiking, camping and the numerous water activities, which includes a lot of whale watching. surfing and sea kayaking.

The main resorts in the Pacific Rim are Tofino and Ucluelet which provide accomodation and hotels for all budgets and have numerous businesses that provide tours, courses and all sorts of outdoor activities.

The road over Vancouver Island to the Pacific Rim is dramatic. Although the distance across the island is only about 100km, this is a long windy road that on the way passes through fantastic landscape. From Parksville the road passes through the port town of Port Alberni, and then winds along the northern shore of Sproat Lake. It then ascends over a pass and along Kennedy Lake. Part way along Kennedy Lake the road ascends up to a hanging lake before plunging back down to the western shores of Kennedy Lake. Finally the road follows part of the Kennedy River down to the sea.